1- SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

1. SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

1.1. FORM
1.2. SPELLING OF FINAL S AND - ES
1.3. USES OF SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
1.4. USING FREQUENCY ADVERS: ALWAYS, USUALLY ETC..
1.5. USING FREQUENCY ADVERBS WITH BE

1.1 FORM OF SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

a) Affirmative (Positive) Sentences
I
YOU
WE
THEY
HE
SHE
IT

like hamburger.

have lunch at 12:00.

do exercise every morning.

likes hamburger.

has lunch at 12:00.

does exercise every morning

Rule 1: After I, you, we, and they simple form of verb is used.
Rule 2: After he, she it (3rd person singular) a final -(e)s is added to the simple form of the verb.

Mary speaks English every day.

We watch TV every evening.
My girlfriend writes a letter to me every week.
Sally and Tom study grammar on Wednesdays.
My father usually leaves home at 8 oclock in the morning.

b) Negative Sentences
I
YOU
WE THEY

dont like hamburger.

dont have lunch at 12:00.

dont do exercise every morning.

HE
SHE
IT

doesnt like hamburger.

doesnt have lunch at 12:00

doesnt do exercise every

morning

In the negative form of simple present tense, helping verbs (auxiliary verbs DO and DOES are necessary to
use. After I, You, We They the helping verb DO NOT (DONT) is used with the simple form of the verb. After He,
She, It the helping verb DOES NOT (DOESNT) is used with the simple form of the verb; -(e)s is never used. It
is only used in affirmative sentences.

Sam doesnt know French.

It doesnt snow in Egypt.
They dont have breakfast every morning.
I dont get up early on Sundays.
She doesnt want to go to school this morning.
My mother doesnt watch football matches on TV.
Mary and Jack dont like ice cream.

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c) Question Sentences

DO

DOES

I
YOU
WE
THEY
HE
SHE
IT

like hamburger ?

have lunch at 12:00 ?

do exercise every morning ?

like hamburger ?

have lunch at 12:00 ?

do exercise every morning ?

.
In question sentences, the helping verbs DO and DOES are used in the beginning of the sentences.
The simple forms of the verbs are used: -(e)s is never used.

Does Jane live in London?

Do you watch TV every evening?
Does your father read newspapers?
Do you live in town or a city?
Does your boyfriend call you every evening?

1.2 SPELLING OF FINAL S AND - ES

a) work works
read reads
b) write writes

talk talks
suggest suggests
believe believes

c) -sh....... wash washes

d) ch...... catch catches
e) ss.......discuss discusses
f) x ........fax faxes
g) o ...... do does

Final s is added to most verbs.

Many verbs end in e. Final s is simply added.
The verbs ending in sh, -ch, -ss, -x, -o get a final es .

h) - consonant + y: cry cries

fly flies
try tries

If the verb ends in a y coming after another consonant

letter,-y is omitted and ies is added to the verb.

I) vowel + -y :

If the verb ends in a y coming after a vowel letter, -s is

simply added to the verb; -ies is not used.

play - plays
stay stays
pray prays

1.3 USE OF SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

a) General Truths
The present simple tense is very often used to express general truths and factual statements.
The earth is round.
The earth goes around the sun.

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Water freezes at 0 degrees.

Kangaroos live in Australia.
The sun sets in the West.
Most babies learn to speak when they are about two years old.
Water boils at 100 Celsius.
Trees lose their leaves in the fall.
Few people live to be 100 years old.
Wood floats on water.
Does it snow in the Sahara desert?
Do elephants live longer than humans?
Money doesn't guarantee happiness.
Flowers don't grow in winter.

b) Habitual Activities and Likes & Dislikes

When we want to state a fact or ask a question without any time reference, we use the present simple tense.

She plays football but she doesn't play tennis.

For breakfast he eats rice and drinks cold milk.
She works very hard.
My friend hates fish.
I never drink coffee with milk.
I don't like horror films!
Do you smoke?

c) Regularly Repeated Actions and Daily Routines

Statements about rules of nature and the way the world is are in the present simple tense.

I usually get up at 9 oclock in the morning.

He goes to work by bus everyday.
Tim sometimes works till 10 pm in the evening.
The banks in Turkey open at 9:00 am. and close at 5:00 pm.
The bus 29 arrives at the station at 8 oclock in the morning.
It rains very often in the spring.
They go on vacation to Bodrm every summer.

d) Verbs Of The Senses And Mental Processes

The present simple tense is used for many verbs of thinking, feeling and sensing. The most common words are:

like

love

Prefer

know

understand

hate
see

need
hear

Want
Taste

believe
smell

remember
look

I love lying in bed late on Sunday mornings.

I need to know the truth right now.
She says she doesn't know who did it, but I don't believe her.
He doesn't want to speak to you again.
This doesn't taste very good, does it?
Do you remember the first time we met?
Do you smell something funny?
Does he understand which way to go?

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e) In jokes, anecdotes and film or book summaries
The present simple tense is very often used in jokes and when telling a story to make the jokes or stories seem
more immediate. This use of the present tense is sometimes called the graphic present.
The present simple is also used to retell what happens in a book or film.

f)

So in he walks with a parrot on his shoulder.

In his new film Robert Redford plays the part of a brave cowboy.

To refer to the future

The present simple is often used to refer to future events that are scheduled (and outside of our control).

Hurry up! The train departs in 5 minutes.

I leave Frankfurt at 5 in the morning and arrive in New York at midnight the next day.
She has a piano lesson after school today.
There's no need to hurry. The train doesn't leave for another 10 minutes.
When does the meeting begin?

g) For instructions and directions

Open the packet and pour the contents into hot water.
To start the machine, press the yellow button and turn the arrow to the right.

h) Newspaper Headlines

i)

AND FENERBAHE BECOMES THE CHAMP!

THE KILLER STRIKES AGAIN

Ceremonial Use

j)

I pronounce you husband and wife!

I name this ship TITANIC!

Instantaneous Use / Sports Commentaries

Sukur passes the ball to Berkamp!

Schumacher maintains his lead over the other racers.

1.4 Using adverbs of frequency and adverbial phrases of time

a) Frequency adverbs

John

always _________100%
usually ( generally)
very often
often (frequently)
sometimes
occasionally
seldom
rarely
hardly
never___________0%

gets up early on Sunday mornings.

Frequency adverbs are used to express how often an activity is performed.

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NOTE 1: Usually, sometimes and often can also be used in the beginning or at the end of a
sentence for emphasis.
Sometimes I go out with my friends in the evening.
Often she calls me at 10:00.
I get up late sometimes.
NOTE 2: When the frequency adverbs seldom, rarely, hardly, never, are used in the beginning,
the sentence becomes inverted; in other words, it is written in question form.
Rarely does she get up early on Sundays.
Hardly do I see her at the cafeteria.
Never does she smoke in public places

b) Adverbial phrases of frequency

Adverbial phrases of frequency can be used initially and finally in the sentence.

On Wednesdays
Every Wednesday
Once a week
Twice a month
Every summer
Etc.

she visits her aunt

1.5 Using adverbs of frequency with BE

always _________100%
usually ( generally)
very often
often (frequently)
Ted Is sometimes late for work, occasionally
seldom
rarely
hardly

never___________0%

On Wednesdays
Every Wednesday.
Once a week
Twice a month
Every summer
Etc.

2- PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
1. FORM OF PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
2. SPELLING OF ING
3. USES OF PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
4. COMMON TENSE MARKERS
5. USING PRESENT CONTINUOUS FOR FUTURE
6. NON-ACTION VERBS NOT USED IN CONTINUOUS TENSES ( STATIVE VERBS)
7. THE SIMPLE PRESENT vs PRESENT CONTINUOUS
8. AM/IS/ARE BEING + ADJECTIVE

1. Form Of Simple Present Tense

a) Affirmative

(Positive)

Sentences am,is,are + -ing

I

am eating hamburger

HE
SHE
IT
YOU
WE
THEY

is eating hamburger

are eating hamburger

am having breakfast

am playing football

s having breakfast

is playing football

are having breakfast

are playing football

Sam is working at the office right now.

The children are playing in the garden at the moment.
We are watching TV now.
My father is drinking coffee right now.
She is cooking lunch in the kitchen now.
I am practicing my English at the moment.

b) Negative Sentences

am not eating hamburger

HE
SHE
IT
YOU
WE
THEY

is not eating hamburger

are not eating hamburger

am not having breakfast

am not playing football

s not having breakfast

is not playing football

are not having breakfast

are not playing football

In the negative form of present continuous tense, not is simply added to the sentence after the helping verb BE
( am, is, are).
Robert is not studying at the moment.
The baby is not sleeping now
They are not listening to music.

(Robert isnt studying at the moment.)

(The baby isnt sleeping now)
(They arent listening to music)

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I am not dancing.
(Im not dancing)
She is not writing a letter at the moment. (She isnt writing a letter at the moment.)
My mother is not making a cake today.
(My mother isnt making a cake today)
We are not working today. Its holiday.
(We arent working today. Its holiday.)
c) Question Sentences
Am

eating hamburger?

having breakfast?

playing football?

Is

he
she
it

eating hamburger?

having breakfast?

playing football?

Are

we
you
they

eating hamburger?

having breakfast?

playing football?

In question sentences, the helping verbs AM, IS, ARE are used in the beginning of the sentences. ING
is added to the main verb.

Is Jane sleeping in her room?

Are the students studying in the library?
Am I playing well?
Is the boss speaking on the phone at the moment?
Are you going to the supermarket?
Is the secretary typing the letters right now?

2 .Spelling

Of Final ing
END OF VERB

------- -ING FORM

RULE 1:

A consonant + -e ----------- Drop the e and ADD ing

dance ----------- dancing
ride ----------- riding
take ----------- taking

RULE 2:

One vowel + One consonant ----------- Double the consonant and ADD ing
cut ----------- cutting
plan ----------- planning
run ----------- running
NOTE: Do not double w,y,and x
snow --------- snowing
fix --------- fixing
pay --------- paying

RULE 3:

RULE 4:

Two vowels + One Consonant ---------- ADD ing ; do not double the consonant
keep --------- keeping
read --------- reading
Two consonants -------- ADD ing ; do not double the consonant
sing--------- singing
wash ------ washing

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3. Use Of Present Continuous Tense

Present continuous tense is used;
a) to describe an action that is going on (or not) at this very moment; at the moment of speaking
a. You are using the Internet and you are studying grammar at the moment.
b. My father is in the garage now. He is fixing the car.
c. Mr. Taylor is painting the walls of his house right now.
d. You are not swimming now.
e. The children are watching television at present.
f. What are you doing right now? Are you sleeping?
g. Look! Its snowing again.
h. Shhhh! Your father is sleeping. Dont disturb him.
b) In English, now can mean "this second," "today," "this month," "this year," "this century" and so
on. Sometimes we use the Present Continuous to say that we are in the process of doing a
longer action which is in progress; however, we might not be doing it at this exact second. In
other words, a person saying I am learning karate is not supposed to be doing karate while
he is speaking.
c) I am reading the book War and Peace now.
a. Are you working on any special project at the company at the moment?
b. She is eating a lot these days.
c. The government is currently working on a new tax system.

d) to describe temporary event or situations.

e) He usually listens to classical music, but he is listening to hard rock this evening.
f) She will rent a flat, but for the time being she is staying with her sister.
f)

The Present Continuous with words such as "always" "constantly" or forever expresses the idea that
something irritating or shocking often happens. Notice that the meaning is like Simple Present but with
negative emotion. Remember to put the words "always" forever or "constantly" between "be" and
"verb+ing."

I hate my brother. He is always wearing my shirts without asking me.

Mary is always late for work. Someone should warn her.
She is constantly speaking. I wish she would shut up.
Please change the subject! You are forever talking about your father-in-law.

4.COMMON TENSE MARKERS

at the moment / now
at present
for the time being

The students are studying in the classroom at the moment / now.

At present all the farmers in the village are harvesting their crops.
My father will buy a new car soon. For the time being he is using mine.
UNESCO is currently holding its annual assembly in Paris.

currently
While / When
Look! , Listen! Etc.

While the children are playing in the garden, I will wash the car.
Look! Somebody is following us.

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5 .Using Present Continuous Tense in Future Meaning

Present Continuous Tense is often used to describe an action or event in the future, which has already
been planned or prepared.
I am meeting some friends after work.
We are going to the cinema tonight. Are you coming?
I am flying to Istanbul tomorrow morning.
Are you visiting your grandparents next week?

6. Non-progressive ( Stative) verbs: Verbs which are not used in

continuous form.
A continuous tense is used to describe an activity, which is visibly, and physically done. Therefore,
some verbs having stative meanings (mental verbs such as know and understand, emotional verbs such
as love and hate, verbs of possession such as have and own, verbs of sense perception such as taste
and smell etc.) are not used in continuous form; they are used in simple tenses.
MENTAL STATE

EMOTIONAL STATE

know, realize, understand, recognize

believe, feel, suppose, think
imagine, doubt, remember, forget
want, need, desire, mean
love, like, appreciate, please, prefer
hate, dislike, fear, envy
mind,care,astonish, surprise, amaze

POSSESSION

have, belong, possess, own

SENSE PERCEPTION

taste, smell, hear, feel, see

OTHER STATIVE VERBS

look, seem, appear, sound, resemble, look like

cost, owe, weigh, equal
be, exist, matter,
consist of, include,contain

The verbs written in blue can be used in both progressive and non-progressive form with a change in meaning.
See the examples:
THINK
(a) What do you think about the new English teacher? I think he is a nice man !
(b) I am thinking about the exam tomorrow. It will be a difficult one.
In (a) think is a stative verb which shows opinion. In (b) on the other hand, think is a continious
action which is physical and visible. You can sometimes see people thinking and understand that
they are doing this activity.
HAVE
(c) I have two cats and a dog. Do you have any pets?
(d) I am having a nice time in my speaking classes.

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In (c) have is a stative verb which expresses possession. With the meaning of possession have
is always used in non-progressive form. In(d) the verb have has an active meaning and is used in
progressive form.
SMELL
(e) All flowers smell nice.
(f) The little girl is smelling the flowers.
In (e) smell is a stative verb.Flowers are not doing any activity of smelling phsically. In(f) the verb
smell has an active meaning . You can see the girl doing this activity ,therefore it is used in
progressive form.

4- SIMPLE PAST TENSE

SIMPLE PAST TENSE
USING BE: PAST TIME
FORM OF SIMPLE PAST TENSE
SPELLING OF ED
USES OF THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE
BEFORE AND AFTER IN TIME CLAUSES
WHEN IN TIME CLAUSES

1 . PAST FORM OF BE
POSITIVE SENTENCE

NEGATIVE SENTENCE

QUESTION SENTENCES

I
He
She was at home last night
It

I
He
She wasnt at home last night
It

I
he
Was she at home last night?
it

We
You were at home last night.
They

We
You werent at home last night.
They

we
Were you at home last night?
they

Kate is here today, but she wasnt here yesterday.

I was in Canada last year.
Were you in Istanbul five years ago?
It is cold this week, but it was sunny last week.
Where were you last Sunday?
How was your exam?

2 . FORM OF THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE

a) Affirmative (Positive) Sentences
I
You
He
She played football yesterday studied English this morning went to the cinema last night It
We
You
They
In positive sentence form of the Simple Past tense, V2 (Simple Past Form of the verbs) is used after the subject.

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I watched TV last night.

The snow stopped a few minutes ago. Now the weather is nice.
Linda came home very late last night.
Last year I traveled to Japan.
Hasan studied hard all year. He passed all his exams last week.
Sally called the police yesterday because someone stole her car while she was at the supermarket.

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b) Negative Sentences

You
He
She
It
We
You
They

did not

play football yesterday.

didnt

study English this morning.

go to the cinema last night.

In the negative form of the simple past tense, helping verb didnt and simple form of the verbs is used. Please
note that V2 is only used affirmative (positive) sentences.

I didnt go to a movie last night. I stayed at home.

Nick didnt come to school yesterday.
We didnt have breakfast this morning.
I went to a movie yesterday but I didnt enjoy it.
It didnt rain yesterday.

c) Question Sentences

Did

you
he
she
t
we
you
they

play football yesterday.

study English this morning.
go to the cinema last night.

While making question sentences, the helping verb did is used in the beginning of the sentence. The verb is
used in its simple form.

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Did you sleep well last night?

Did you see the postman this morning?
Did Mary have a good time at the party yesterday?
Did you make your own dinner last night?
Did they understand the question?
Did the children feed the birds in the park yesterday morning?

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3. SPELLING OF

-ED
END OF VERB
A consonant + -e ----------dance ----------erase ----------place -----------

RULE 1:

RULE 2:

------- -ED FORM

ADD -d
danced
erased
placed

One vowel + One consonant ----------- Double the consonant and ADD ed
plan ----------- planned
stop ------------ stopped
NOTE: Do not double w and x
snow --------- snowed
fix --------- fixed

RULE 3:

Two vowels + One Consonant ---------- ADD -ed ; do not double the consonant
rain --------- rained
need --------- needed

RULE 4:

RULE 5:

RULE 6:

Two consonants -------- ADD ed ; do not double the consonant

help--------- helped
add -----added
Consonant + -y--------- CHANGE y TO i, ADD ed
Worry --------- worried
Reply --------- replied
Vowel + -y -------- ADD ed; DO NOT CHANGE -y TO -i
play -------- played
stay --------- stayed

4. USE OF THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE

a) Completed Action In The past
Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past.
Sometimes the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.

I saw a movie yesterday.

I didnt go to work last Friday.
Last year, I traveled to China.
The World War II ended in 1945.
She washed the dishes this morning.

b) A series of Completed Actions

We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd,
4th...
I finished work, went home, had a shower and went to bed early.

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He arrived from the airport at 9:00, checked into the hotel at 10:00, and met the others at 11:00.
c) Single Duration
The Simple Past can be used with a duration that starts and stops in the past. A duration is a long action often
used with expressions like "for two years," "for five minutes," "all day" or "all year."

I lived in Istanbul for 5 years, from 1990 to 1995. ( I dont live there anymore)
Jane studied Chinese for 3 years.
We talked on the phone for 30 minutes.
How long did they wait for the bus?

d) Habits in the past

The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit that stopped in the past. It may have the same meaning
as "used to". To make it clear that we are talking about a habit we often use expressions such as "always,"
"often," "usually," "never," "...when I was a child" or "...when I was younger" in the sentence.

My father took me to the Luna park every Sunday.

He played the piano whenever he was at home.
He usually worked at a restaurant after school.

5. BEFORE and AFTER IN TIME CLAUSES

A clause is a group of words that has a subject and a verb. Some clauses are complete sentences and have a
complete meaning. Such clauses are called as main clauses. For example;

I ate a sandwich. = a main clause

She played tennis = a main clause

Some clauses begin with a time adverbs such as after, before or when. These clauses are not complete
sentences and dont have a complete meaning. They are just used to give a time reference in a sentence form.
Such clauses are called time clauses. For example;
before I went to school = a time clause
after she finished her homework = a time clause
As stated above, time clauses cannot be used alone because they are not complete sentences that
have a complete meaning. Therefore, are used as an addition to the main clause. A time clause can come in
front of a main clause. There is no difference in meaning.

I ate a sandwich before I went to school.

or,

Before I went to school, I ate a sandwich.

She played tennis after she finished her homework

or,

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After she finished her homework, she played tennis.

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Please note that if the time clause is used in front of the main clause, comma is used after
the time clause.

After the children got home from school, they watched TV.
Before we entered the cinema, we bought the tickets.
I cleaned my room before my mother came home.
After Sally ate dinner, she went to the library,
Sally went to the library after she ate dinner.

6. WHEN IN TIME CLAUSES

Some time clauses start with WHEN, which gives the idea of at that time.

When I was a child, I lived with my grandparents.

I lived with my grandparents when I was a child.
When I heard a strange sound, I turned on the lights.
I turned on the lights when I heard a strange noise.

When clauses" are important because they always happen first when both clauses are in the Simple
Past. For example:

When the phone rang, I answered it.

First : the phone rang

Second: I answered it

The children went home when the rain started.

First: The rain started

Second: the children went home